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Christchurch and Canterbury Sights

Captain Robert Falcon Scott statue

Worcester Blvd. and Oxford Terr.

Christchurch

Public Art (Mural/Sculpture/Statue)

Updated 02/26/2014

Fodor's Review

Scott of the Antarctic (1868–1912), who stayed in Christchurch while preparing for his two Antarctic expeditions, is memorialized by this unfinished white marble statue sculpted by his widow, Kathleen. It's inscribed "Do not regret this journey, which shows that Englishmen can endure hardships, help one another and meet death with as great fortitude as ever in the past." Scott wrote these words in his diary as he and his party lay dying in a blizzard on their

return journey from the South Pole—a story of endurance taught to all New Zealand schoolkids. Scott's marble statue was toppled and broken in the earthquakes, and at this writing is inside the cordon, but like the rest of the city, it will be restored to its former dignity over time.